Loaded Taco Fries (Air Fryer Recipe)

These loaded taco fries are made with air fried fries and topped with cheese, taco meat, cilantro, tomato, pickled onions and sauce!

You guys already know I’m a huge advocate for making healthy eating enjoyable. I think it’s the biggest key in any sustainable health and fitness journey. That’s why putting a healthy spin on fun foods like this is so fun.

These are super simple to make, but there are a few steps. Here’s everything you’ll need and how to make them.

What You’ll Need

Air Fryer

• I have this Ninja air fryer.

Ingredients

• Russet potatoes
• Ground beef: I use 93/7 lean ground beef.
• Taco seasoning: I always use my easy homemade taco seasoning recipe. Sub your favorite taco seasoning or 1/2 taco seasoning packet.
• Tomato paste
• Cheese: I use the reduced fat fiesta blend.
• Roma tomato
• Cilantro
• Pickled onions: Optional, but highly recommended. I use my quick and easy pickled onions recipe.
• Plain greek yogurt, salsa, and more taco seasoning: For the 3-ingredient southwest sauce.

How To Make Them

1. Prep potatoes: I peel, rinse and dry my potatoes. If you prefer skins on, scrub potatoes to clean off the dirt and dry. Cut the potatoes into fries, about 1/4 inch thick, and add to a large bowl. Spray the fries with olive oil spray and season with a generous amount of salt and seasonings of your choice – I love this Cajun seasoning. Garlic and onion powder are also great.
2. Air fry: Add fries to your air fryer basket. It’s okay if they overlap some, but try not to overcrowd the basket. I always have to do 2 batches which is a pain, but the texture turns out way better. Air fry at 375 F for 12 minutes, flipping halfway.
3. Cook the taco meat: While the fries are cooking, grab a frying pan and set on medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking apart into small pieces (I use a meat chopper like this one) until fully browned. Slide the meat to the side of a pan and remove extra fat/liquid – I use a folded paper towel to absorb it. Add taco seasoning, tomato paste, and 1/4 cup water to help evenly distribute seasoning. Stir together well and set aside.
4. Preheat oven and prep toppings: At this point, the first batch of fries should be done so make sure to get the second one going. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Chop up the cilantro, tomatoes, and make the southwest sauce by combining yogurt, salsa, and taco seasoning. NOTE: If you’re using a squeeze bottle (as seen in video below), you’ll need to blend the sauce in a blender to get rid of salsa chunks that will clog.
5. Assemble: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the fries, taco meat, and cheese. Throw in the oven to bake for 5 minutes, just until the cheese is nice and melty. Top with cilantro, tomatoes, pickled onions, and sauce!

FAQs

• Do I need to soak the fries in water before air frying?
  • Soaking the potatoes in water before frying can remove some of the extra starch, making them slightly more crisp. However, I’ve made them both ways and they still turn out crispy and delicious without soaking. I don’t think it’s necessary and would rather save my time. Feel free to try it if you’d like!
• Can I just throw all the fries in the same batch?
  • While doing two separate batches is a pain, it is necessary for crispy fries. They don’t need to be in a perfect single layer, but they won’t get crisp if they’re crowded. That being said, if you have a larger basket and all the fries fit, definitely just do one batch!
• How do I cut the fries?
  • For cooking time to be accurate, cut the potatoes into about 1/4 inch thick fries. They don’t have to be perfect, but try to get them all the same thickness so they cook evenly. A fry cutter like this one is helpful for perfectly even fries.
• What do I do with the rest of the taco meat?
  • This recipe only uses 1/2 lb of ground beef, but I always cook the whole thing and save the rest for another batch of these fries, tacos, salads, whatever I want. A hot pan and a little splash of water will reheat it in no time.

To Store/Reheat

This only makes 2 servings because it’s best fresh. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge (I like to just cover the pan with foil). Reheat in the oven at 400 F until warmed through and the cheese is melty again.

You’ll Also Love

• Quick and easy high protein walking tacos
• One pan lower carb taco rice
• 30 minute turkey enchilada skillet

Lastly, be sure to leave a comment and review if you try these loaded taco fries!

Loaded Taco Fries (Air Fryer Recipe)

No ratings yet

These loaded taco fries are made with air fried fries and topped with cheese, taco meat, cilantro, tomato, pickled onions and sauce!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2

Calories: 428kcal

Equipment

• Air fryer

Ingredients

• 2 medium russet potatoes (~430 g) or 1 large
• big pinch salt
• 1 lb 93/7 lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 oz reduced fat shredded cheese (56 g)
• cilantro chopped
• 1 small roma tomato (53 g) chopped
• pickled onions optional, but highly recommended

Southwest sauce

• 1 container non fat plain greek yogurt (150 g)
• 1/4 cup red salsa (60 g)
• 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning

Instructions

• Peel and rinse the potatoes (or scrub them off if you'd like to keep the peels on), and dry completely. Cut into 1/4 inch fries and add to a large bowl. Spray with olive oil spray and season with a big pinch of salt and other seasonings of choice (see notes).
• Add seasoned fries to the air fryer basket, making sure not to overcrowd, and air fry at 375 F for 12 minutes, flipping/shaking halfway through. I do 2 batches, but you may only need to do 1 depending on the size of your air fryer.
• While the fries are cooking, make the taco meat. Add ground beef to a hot frying pan and cook, breaking apart into small pieces until fully browned. Remove excess fat/liquid, then add taco seasoning, tomato paste, and 1/4 cup water, stirring to combine. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 400 F. If you are doing 2 batches of fries, now is usually when I start the second batch. Prep the toppings and make the southwest sauce by combining ingredients listed above.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the fries are done, add them to the baking sheet and top with 1/2 of the taco meat, then cheese. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, just until the cheese gets nice and melty.
• Top with cilantro, tomatoes, pickled onions, and sauce. Enjoy immediately!

Notes

• Taco seasoning: Sub 1tbsp of your favorite taco seasoning or 1/2 taco seasoning packet.
• Seasoning fries: Season these however you’d like. Salt is a must, but other than that feel free to get creative. I love cajun seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder.
• Southwest sauce: If using a squeeze bottle for serving, you’ll need to blend the sauce so the salsa chunks don’t clog.
• Leftover taco meat: I use the other 1/2 taco meat for another batch of these fries or tacos, salads, whatever else I want. Reheat in the microwave or on a hot pan with a splash of water.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5pan | Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.8g | Protein: 35.7g | Fat: 12.1g | Fiber: 4g

This post may contain affiliate links. See footer for privacy policy and terms of use.